NHS Borders offers best stroke care

A stroke is the third most common cause of death in Scotland and the most common cause of severe physical disability amongst adults. It is estimated that about 15,000 people in Scotland have a stroke each year.

The 2015 Scottish Stroke Care Audit (SSCA) report was published in July and shows that the percentage of NHS Borders patients receiving an “appropriate” Stroke Care Bundle is the highest in Scotland, at 87% during 2014; that is higher than the Scottish average of 65%.

In 2013, a local stroke ‘bundle’ was implemented to achieve improvement in overall compliance with the Stroke Care Bundle. A ‘bundle’ involves a group of specific interventions and processes of care that significantly improve patient outcome following a stroke if delivered together rather than separately.

Sandi Haines, stroke co-ordinator at NHS Borders said: “NHS Borders continues to use the Stroke Care Bundle as a focus for improvements in the quality of stroke patient care. The use of the ‘Bundle’ ensures that every patient receives the relevant treatment required and enables us to deliver a high standard of care that our patients can have confidence in.”

For more information about Stroke awareness, visit: www.stroke.org.uk.